Tube socket



SePt- 3, v1957 w. s. oAKEs, JR 2,805,404

TUBE SOCKET Filed May v27. 1954 Y i L I," Il i BY n l HnsToREY.

United States Patent O TUBE soCKEr William S. Oakes, Jr.,Pattersonville, N. Y., assigner to General Electric Company, acorporation of New York Application May 27, 1954, serial No. 432,667

1 Claim. (ci. 339-66) My invention relates to electronic tube socketsand pertains more particularly to a new and improved tube socket adaptedfor facilitating the insertion and removal of tubes and to avoid bendingof the leads thereof.

In the manufacture of electronic tubes and following exhaust andtip-oil? thereof, it is common practice to insert and withdraw each tubefrom a plurality of sockets in order to carry out such processes asseasoning, aging, preheating and testing. Usually a large number ofsockets are arranged in racks for each operation and an operator isemployed to insert and remove the tubes. Now it will be seen that thenumber of tubes an operator can process in a given time is largelydependent upon the ease with which the tubes can be inserted and removedfrom the sockets. This is especially true of small tubes such as thosecommonly known as miniature tubes and sometimes referred to in theindustry as 7-pin and small button 9-pin tubes. Due to their sizes, suchtubes are difficult to handle and generally require more time forinsertion in a socket. Additionally, the pins or leads of such tubes arethinner than those'of larger tubes and inasmuch as there is a somewhatnatural tendency for an operator to rock or move a tube back and forthout of its vertical position in removing it from a socket, the leads ofminiature tubes are often bent during removal. Thus it is desirable toprovide means for facilitating the insertion and removal of tubes fromtube sockets and for avoiding bending of tube leads during removal.Further, it is desirable to accomplish this either by providing socketsincluding the above mentioned desired means or by providing means formodifying presently employed sockets in order thereby to avoid theexpense of replacing such sockets.

Accordingly the primary object of my invention is to provide a newandimproved tube socket.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved tubesocket adapted for facilitating insertion and removal of tubes.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved tubesocket adapted for avoiding the bending of tube leads during removal ofthe tubes from the socket.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for modifyingexisting sockets to facilitate insertion of tubes therein and removal oftubes therefrom and to avoid bending of the tube leads.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a new and improvedtube socket including means for facilitating insertion and removal oftubes and avoiding bending of the leads thereof which is simple inconstruction and which may be easily and inexpensively manufactured.

In carrying out the objects of my invention I provide means including atubular portion for guiding a tube so as to effect guiding insertion andremoval of the tube leads, respectively, into and out of the leadreceptacles of a tube socket. The tubular portion is adapted to guidethe tube and prevent substantial lateral movement thereof until theleads are completely removed from the recep- Mice tacles. Additionally,the outer end of the tubular portion is flared to provide an enlargedentrance for the tube.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective viewing illustrating my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a partially sectionalized elevational view furtherillustrating my invention.

Referring to Fig. 1 I have shown a tube socket generally designated 1and including a base portion 2. The base portion 2 is formed of anysuitable insulating material and includes a central depression 3 inwhich is 1ocated a plurality of tube lead receptacles generallydesignated 4 and arranged in a substantially circular array. Thereceptacles 4 each include a spring clip 4a only one of which is shownin full in Fig. 2 for convenience of illustration. The outer ends of thespring clips 4a are adapted for having conductors 4b suitablyelectrically connected thereto. Thus the socket 1 is adapted foreffecting electrical connections between the conductors 4b and the tubeleads 7 inserted in the receptacles 4.

The socket 1 is of a type generally employed in large numbers in theelectronic tube industry in the processing of tubes such as that shownin Fig. 2 and designated 5. The tube 5 comprises an evacuatedcylindrical envelope or bottle 6 and a plurality of pins or leads 7extending from the bottom of the bottle in an array corresponding tothat of the receptacles 4 in the socket' 1.

In the manufacture of tubes such as 5 each tube must pass throughseveral processes such as seasoning, aging, preheating and testing. Foreach of these processes there is usually provided one or more racks ofsockets 1. These racks comprise a plurality of sockets suitably mountedon a frame or plate 8. Generally, an operator is employed to service aplurality of racks of sockets. That is, it is the operators job toinsert tubes into the sockets for processing of the tubes and thereafterto remove the tubes. It will be seen that the number of tubes that eachoperator can insert for processing in a given time and the operatorsefficiency are largely dependent on the ease with which the tubes can beinserted. Therefore, l have provided means for facilitating theinsertion of the tubes in the sockets, thereby to increase the eiciencyof the operator and the number of tubes each operator can cause to beprocessed.

As seen in Figs. l and 2 the means I provide comprises a member 9 formedpreferably of any suitable insulating material. The member 9 includes aportion 10 which is substantially tubular or, more specifically,includes a longitudinally extending cylindrical bore 11 which is adaptedfor registering with the depression 3 in the upper surface of thesocket 1. Additionally, the member 9 is formed to include a flange orbase portion 12. By means of a plurality of screws 13 adapted forextending through a plurality of apertures 14 in the base portion 12 andinto suitably threaded apertures 15 in the socket 1, or any suitablefastening means, the member 9 is adapted for being secured to the socket1 in the relative position shown in Fig. 2. e

The cylindrical bore 11 in the member 9 is just slightly larger indiameter than the cylindrical envelope of the tubes 5 to be insertedinto the sockets. When a tube is to be inserted into the socket theoperator simply places it into the bore 11 whereby it is guideddownwardly toward the socket. With a substantially continuous motion theoperator rotates the tube while exerting a slight downward forcethereon. Thus when the leads 7 find the receptacles 4 they quickly movethereinto and the tube is satisfactorily inserted in the socket, in themanner shown in solid lines in Fig. 2.

Additionally, insertion of the tube is facilitated and insertion time isshortened by provision of a flare or 11. 'This' provides an enlargedopening or entrance for the operator to ind during the initial insertionmovement orwhen thetube is being inserted into the bore ll for guided,movement of the leads thereof into the receptacles 4. Y *i It will'beseen that theYY countersink 16 facilitates finding and insertion of thetube into the bore l1 and the bore 11 itself facilitates finding of thereceptacles 4'by the leads 7 and jointly and severally these provisionsboth increase the eliciency of an operatorY and increase the number oftube insertions possible in a given period. In turn, the number voftubes that may be Vprocessed in a given Vtime is increased.

'My deviceris'further adapted to avoid bending of the Vtube `leads 7during removal of the tube from the socket. In removing tubes, such as5, it is desired that they be removed substantially vertically in 'ordernot to bend the leadsr'7.V However, there appears to be a naturaltendency for one to rock a tube or to move it back and forth out of itsvertical position to loosen the leads 7 from the receptacles 4.Additionally, there is sometimes a tendency 'just to pull a tube out ofa socket to one side of its vertical position, especially when it isbeing done quickly. as when one is hurriedly removing 'a large ber Voftubes from a number of racks of sockets. Both of vthese practices tendto result in bending ofthe leads 7 during removal of the tubesespecially when the tubes are of the miniature type and the leads arethin and substantially easily bent,V Therefore, it is desired to providemeans for avoiding bending of the leads 7 by insuring that the tube 5will be removed vertically out of the socket, at least until the leadsare free ofthe receptacles 4. This I accomplish with my device 9. Thecylindrical bore l therein is just slightly larger in diameter than theouter diameter of the envelope 6 of the tube 5. As a result, anysubstantial lateral movement of the tube 5 during removal from thesocket is prevented. Thus-the operator can remove the tube only bymoving it substantially vertically from the socket. constructed so thatthe ,cylindrical'bore l1 is of such length thatit will be effective Yforvertically guiding and preventing any substantial lateral movement of'the tube until the leads 7 thereof are pulled completely free of theVreceptacle .7, in the manner shown in dot and dash linesiin Fig. 2. ThisYfeature of my invention is also effective for increasing the number oftubes an operator can process in a given period since it precludes theneed for affording any` particular consideration to the tube leads andenables the operator to remove the tubes quickly and unhesitatingly withone continuous upward movement.

It will Vbe seen that the member 9 is adapted for being Additionally, mymember 9 is 2,805,404 i i y secured to and modifying a socket 1 alreadyin use.Y Thus it is possible to obtain the Yadvantages ofmy inventionwithout the expense of providing new sockets, which could beconsiderable when the sockets 1 are already in use in large numbers.However, it will be further seen that the member 9 could be formedintegrally with the socket 1 which might be preferable if there were nota large number of sockets on hand and no additional expense would beinvolved, as when new tube processing racks are being set up.

While I have shown and described a specific embodi ment of my invention,I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular form shownand described,V

and I intend by the appended claim to cover all modi-v iications withinthe spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

An adapter member for use with an electron tube socket having aplurality of elongated longitudinally extending receptacles designed toreceive the elongated leads extending longitudinally from the b ase of acylindrically` shaped electron tube envelope, said adapter membercomprising a relatively thick walled piece of insulating ma-v terialhaving a cylindrical bore extending therethrough which is inlongitudinal alignment with said receptacles upon'said member beingsecured to said socket, said thick walled adapter member beingcounter-sunk Vat the outer end of said bore to facilitate insertion ofelectron tubes into said bore with said bore being slightly larger indiameter than said tubes and being substantiallylonger from the bottomof the counter-sink to the inner end thereof than the length of saidtube leads whereby inscrtion of the leads of the tube into thereceptacles of the socket is facilitated Aand lateral movement ofsaidtube is prevented during withdrawal of the tube from the socket until'the leads thereof are completely withdrawn from the receptacles therebyavoiding bending of said leads, and means for securing said adaptermember over said socket.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS GreatBritain Dec. 10,

